What this tool is for

If your employer has handed you a settlement agreement and you are not sure whether the money and terms on offer are reasonable, this tool gives you a quick second opinion. You tell it what is in the agreement, and it tells you how the offer compares to a typical package and where you might push back.

It is meant as a starting point to help you understand the document in front of you, not a replacement for legal advice from a solicitor (which your employer should be paying towards).

Who it is aimed at

Most people who use it have been offered a settlement agreement as part of a redundancy, a restructure, or an exit after a dispute at work. You might be weighing up whether to sign, whether the tax free element has been worked out properly, or whether the notice pay, holiday pay and any ex gratia sum add up to something fair.

It is also useful if you have been given a short deadline and want to get your bearings before speaking to a solicitor, so you already know which parts of the offer feel weak and what questions to ask. It is written for employees in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

How it works

You answer a short set of questions about your role, length of service, salary, the payments being offered and any clauses you are worried about, such as restrictive covenants or confidentiality terms. You then get a plain English summary covering whether the offer looks low, in the normal range, or generous for your circumstances, which terms deserve a closer look, and the points you could reasonably try to negotiate. Your answers are used to generate the summary and are not stored against your name.